The water data infrastructure in the United States is antiquated and increasingly inadequate for 21st-century water challenges. While water data have been collected by federal, state, and local agencies for decades, much of this data is not open—meaning discoverable, accessible, and usable. Because of this, we are often unable to answer basic questions about our river basins and aquifers in a timely way, namely:
- How much water is there?
- What is its quality?
- How is it being used?
The Internet of Water (IoW) Coalition is a group of organizations working together with federal, state, and local government partners to build foundational water data infrastructure across the US and create a community of people and organizations using water data to make better decisions.
The IoW Coalition envisions a nation engaged in equitable, sustainable, and resilient water planning, management, and stewardship. To achieve this vision, we are engaged in a collaborative effort to modernize the nation’s water data infrastructure and improve the sharing, accessibility, and integration of water data and information. We cannot rise to the water challenges facing our nation without modern water data infrastructure that provides a comprehensive, accurate, and up-to-date picture of our water resources.
